No Crown without a cross. If you dodge the cross, you will miss the crown.
Bible Verse for the sermon:
Hebrew 12:2
Looking unto Jesus ,the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Matthew 16:24-25 -
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
Preamble:
What does the Cross Represents?
Different people will surely give different interpretations to the subject matter - The Cross. What does the cross symbolises? If I ask you what the cross symbolises, what would be your responses?
Let's take a quick look at it.
The cross, is the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalling the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. The cross is thus a sign both of Christ himself and of the faith of Christians.
The True Meaning of the Cross
Cross in the context of Jesus Cruxificion and death symbolises suffering, tribulations, gnashing of theeth, dejectedness or sorrow.
Why you are persecuted and why the Cross im your life ?
Let's look at the saying again, no cross, no Crown. Most often than not, we love the crown , but we are not ready to carry the cross.
Why the Cross ?
1. Because you are carrying a Special Grace: This means that things are working for you and some people are not just comfortable with it. If things are working for you more than people expected, expect to be persecuted.
2. Because you are a child of grace : i like the way the people of the world puts it ."Omo Olofo lo n binu Omo Ologo". So, because you are a child of destiny and the people known as destiny destroyer, would readily envy and despise you.
3. Because you are fruitful: Yoruba will say "Omo Osan lo n ko ponpo na iya e" Most times, when a tree is futitful, it will get many patronages , people will throw stones and pebbles at it..So, you are persecuted because you are fruitful.
4. Because there is a victory ahead of you: The evil people are eagle-eyed and they see the destiny of people ahead..Again, Yoruba people will say " " Awon a ri ogo ba ogo je". They have seen rhe victory ahead of you and they do not want you to get to your place of destiny.
5. Because you have professed or declared for Christ: If you cast your mind back to the persecution faced by the first set of Apostles, you will know that carrying your Cross to follow Jesus Christ comes with its own tribulations.
You Must be Persecuted .
Yes, you must be persecuted, because you are a glorious child. Again, Yoruba people would say. Someone who is tormented daily is OK, because it only shows that they have seen something prosperous in him, which they are attacking. If they didn't afflict you, you either have Christ or they have competed your ruination.
Like a friend said, never trust a man without a scar. This is because when you have no scars, you have no experience. WHEN you have no experience, what are you going ro share.?
CAVEAT: Being poor does not mean that you will not be persecuted. If you are poor and these people have the feelings that you may still make it in future, they will still persecute you. Mind you, they are not persecuting you for being poor, they are persecutung the future they see ahead of you. So, mind you, being poor isn't a guarantee of freedom from the persecutors.
Why do you face tribulations?
It is simple.
- Because you are relevant.
- Because you have value
- Because you are a glorious child
- Because you are a golden and promised child
- Because you are a ripped fruit; tell me who chases after a rotten fruit?
- You are persuted Because you are a destiny child .
This song readily comes to mind when one is thinking about the reasons people are persecuted..
" Sebi nitori Ogo ni o 2ce.
"A dabi pe majemu o si lorun"
- Ogun ti eniyan n ja lagba ju ti igba ewe lo o. Orun la ti yan ipin Oun ta de aye ba o etc.
You Are Not Alone!!!
Are Your Tribulations/ Persecution as Much as that of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of Mankind?*
Human being have always carried on as if they are the most persecuted and tormented of all human creatures.When they face tribulations and confrontations from the evil ones, they tended to believe that they are alone in the world and they also harbour the thought that they are the most tormented of all beings. Whereas, even Jesus Christ whose birth and death was divine faced a lot of tribulations as a child even before he could assume the work of his father. Thus, if the savour of man can face so much confrontations from birth till the end of his Ministry on earth, no one should complain of tribulations. It is part of the course any man ordained by God to be great must pass through to reach his palce of destiny.
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
The Challenges Before and During the Birth of Jesus Christ.
The very first challenge or controversy that would have stemmed from the birth of Christ was that of possibility of Mary, the blessed mother of Jesus being charged with Adultery by her husband Joseph, who was in a quandary how his wife got impregnated without him having sexual intercourse with him. He was in this quandary before God appeared to him in his dream, telling him to be calm that the pregnancy his wife had was from the Holy spirit. Of course, that encounter with God settled the matter permanently in his heart.
Herod The King And the Three Wise Men
We can not also easily forget in a jiffy the story of Herod the King and the three wise men. That was another machinations of the evil to stop the phenomenon called Jesus Christ. This persecution raged until his eventual Crucifixion on the cross of Calvary.
Bearing the cross isn't easy. Were it to be easy, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour wouldn't have made these classical statements.
The seven sayings Made on The Cross of Calvary
'- Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. ...
-Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. ...
- Woman, behold, thy son! ...
- My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ...
- I thirst. ...
- It is finished. ...
- Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit
When the storm is much, what does it signify ?
- When the storm is much, it means you are about to experience a breakthrough
. You will feel like giving up . Most people actually give up at this stage and they may never recover . Some at this stage use their almost giving up story as a spring board to get up and get there and they turn it into a testimony...
You must endure the sufferers of the cross. When the tempest is high, it means the crown is near. It means the crown is near enough.
Nitori ayo ti a gbe ka iwaju re, o fi ara da iya agbelebu... Therefore, you must pay the Prince...!!
There is no price that is too much to get the crown...So, you must be prepared to pay the price .!!!Jesus paid the price for the glory we are enjoying today..If Jesus had dodged the cross, we would have been ruled by Satan
May our current hardship becomes a testimony for us.
Good Morning
This mesaage is reaching you via Writing and Researching For Christ Mission
Address : 90, ilugun-itoko Community Ajangboun Road, Abeokuta.
E mail: waheedogunjobi@gmail.com
Tel : 08035004741...
Thanks and remain blessed as you share this mesaage...!!!
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